SEC grants Lewis an extra year of eligibility

Tuesday, the Southeastern Conference approved the medical hardship request for the senior from Selma, Ala., who suffered a knee injury back in December that sidelined him for the remaining 24 games.

The 6-foot-9 forward appeared in 8 games before fracturing his right patella during practice in a non-contact drill. Before the injury, he was averaging 8.1 points and 4.9 rebounds. In his last two outings, he totaled 20 and 16 points against Texas-San Antonio and Providence, respectively. He also had 11 rebounds against the Friars for his first double-double of the year and the second his career.

"We are pleased that the SEC has granted Wendell another year of eligibility," MSU coach Rick Ray said. "I really believe that Wendell needed another year in our program to improve on the court because he was just beginning to make strides right before his injury after coming off two straight games where he scored career highs. This move is beneficial for both Wendell and our basketball program."

For his career, Lewis has appeared in 98 games and drew 13 starts. He is averaging 3.5 points and 3.3 rebounds and has blocked 65 shots.